St. Paul: Man who locked children in bedroom skips sentencing

Jaime Arnoldo Flores, 23, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to unreasonable restraint of a child in Ramsey County District Court. He failed to appear for his scheduled sentencing hearing on 11/9/12. (Photo courtesy Ramsey County sheriff's office.)

A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to locking his wife's children in their bedroom for hours at a time failed to appear for his sentencing Friday, Nov. 9.

Jaime Arnoldo Flores, 23, was released from jail when he submitted his guilty plea Sept. 20. The plea deal called for him to serve no additional time behind bars. He had been in jail for 45 days.

After his no-show in Ramsey County District Court on Friday, Judge Lezlie Ott Marek issued a warrant for his arrest.

Flores and his wife, Diana Lyn Mata, both admitted they secured the door to the girls' room with a rope. The girls, ages 2 and 3, were screaming and urine-soaked when their aunt discovered them there. No one else was home.

Police responded to the family's apartment in the 1400 block of East Seventh Street in St. Paul on Aug. 3 after the aunt called.

The state said it had evidence that the children had been restrained on many occasions.

Flores said at his plea hearing that the intent was to keep the children going out to the kitchen.

Mata, 27, also pleaded guilty to unreasonable restraint. She was sentenced to a month in jail.